The fascination of tennis - Module 9

C2 Proficiency · Word Formation · Expert Proficiency Resource Book, Pearson Education

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning.

REPEAT

EMPATHY

SET

ESCAPE

INTRICATE

SIGHT

MULTIPLY

OPPOSE

People who are unfamiliar with tennis often find its appeal (0) ___ . What is so gripping about watching two people (1) ___ hit a fluffy pressurised ball across a net, they wonder. Yet tennis is a major spectator sport, that catches the imagination of millions. This is partly because when we watch a match, we (2) ___ with the players, sharing their triumphs and (3) ___ as, like them, we focus intently on every shot. The tension is palpable and the spectator is (4) ___ drawn into the duel being played out on court. But some of the fascination also comes from the (5) ___ of the game itself. David Foster Wallace, who wrote Infinite Jest, a work of fiction about the sport, provides a valuable (6) ___ into the technical background when he describes tennis as 'chess on the run.' According to Wallace, professional players are making (7) ___ calculations every moment the ball is in play, as they seek to anticipate how their (8) ___ will return a shot and what their own response needs to be.

The fascination of tennis

PUZZLE

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

More C2 Proficiency Word Formation practice · All C2 Proficiency practice